Notiospathius alejandroi Rodríguez-Jiménez, 2016

Rodriguez-Jimenez, Andrea & Sarmiento, Carlos E., 2016, Taxonomic synopsis of Notiospathius Matthews & Marsh, 1973 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from Colombia, Zootaxa 4132 (2), pp. 151-206 : 166-168

Notiospathius alejandroi Rodríguez-Jiménez sp. nov.

( Figs 54–60 )

Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from others by the following combination of characters. Temple narrow and swollen behind eye. Flagellum without annulus. Flagellomeres entirely honey to dark brown. Pronotum laterally and ventrally rugose. Metapleuron weakly rugose, rugose-areolate. Fore wing vein 1cu-a interstitial to vein 1M. Vein 2cu-a as a nebulous line, but never completely tubular. Hind coxa with basoventral tubercle and yellow. Femora with a rounded protrusion in dorso-medial view. Hind femur in dorsal view granulate. Second metasomal tergum costulate-rugulose and yellow with two triangular areas dark brown.

Description female. Body length: 5.60 mm.

Color. Head mainly honey yellow-yellow. Eye orbits yellow. Malar space yellow-brown. Palpi pale yellow. Periocellar area dark brown. Scape yellow with a longitudinal brown stripe. Pedicel yellow with a wide longitudinal brown stripe. Flagellum without annulus. Flagellomeres entirely honey to dark brown. Mesosoma mainly honey. Lateral mesoscutal lobes honey yellow turning brown. Median mesoscutal lobe honey yellow turning brown. Venter of mesosoma honey yellow-brown. Pronotum honey to dark brown. Propodeum honey to dark brown. First tergum honey-dark brown. Second tergum yellow with two triangular areas dark brown. Third tergum yellow with apical margin dark brown. Fourth tergum dark brown basomedially and apically with a transversal yellow stripe. Fifth tergum dark brown-yellow. Sixth tergum yellow to brown. Remaining terga yellowbrown except the last one, which is pale yellow. Fore and middle femur yellow. Fore and middle tibia yellow. Hind coxa and hind trochanter yellow. Hind trochantellus yellow with at apex honey. Hind femur yellow basally, yellowbrown apically. Hind tibia pale yellow-brown basally, yellow apically. Hind tarsi honey with the last tarsomere brown. Wings lightly dusky. Veins mainly dark brown. Tegula yellow. Stigma yellow-dark brown.

Head. Clypeus smooth-weakly rugose. Head 0.80 x higher than wide. Face transversely costate laterally, median area finely coriaceous-costate. Face minimum width/maximum width ratio 0.86. Frons transversely striate. Vertex mostly striate-weakly rugose. Eye 1.24 x higher than wide. Ocell-ocular distance twice diameter of lateral ocellus. Malar space 0.40 x eye height in lateral view. Temple/eye length ratio in dorsal view 0.62. Temple swollen behind eye and narrow. Supraclypeal area 0.40 x head height in frontal view. Gena-temple area smooth. Scape 0.60 x first flagellomere length. Flagellomeres 32.

Mesosoma. Pronotum laterally and ventrally rugose. Pronotal groove distinct, laterally scrobiculate-smooth. Propleuron with scrobiculate area, coriaceous-smooth. Mesoscutal lobes strongly costate-rugose along lateral edges, coriaceous medially. Notauli scrobiculate, not reaching the end of mesoscutum. Mesoscutum medially strongly rugose. Scutellum (scutellar disc) coriaceous. Subalar groove distinct and scrobiculate. Precoxal sulcus broad, deep and scrobiculate; length 0.81 x mesopleuron length. Mesopleuron costate-coriaceous dorsally, coriaceous-weakly rugose medially and ventrally. Venter of mesosoma coriaceous. Metapleuron weakly rugose, rugose-areolate. Propodeum rugulose-rugose. Propodeum with a median and two lateral longitudinal and complete carinae. Propodeal apico-lateral corners absent. Propodeal spine or tooth over hind coxa absent.

Wings: fore wing. 2RS/2M ratio 0.35. Vein m-cu meeting vein RS+Ma distinctly before vein 2RS. Vein (RS+M)b distinct. Vein (RS+M)b/2RS ratio 0.21. Vein r 0.20 length of vein 3 RSa. Vein 1cu-a interstitial to vein 1M. Vein 2cu-a as a nebulous line, but never completely tubular. Hind wing. Vein M+CU/1M ratio 0.51. Vein m-cu nebulous. Vein cu-a 0.12 length of 1M. Vein r-m/1M ratio 0.31.

Legs. Hind coxa dorsally costate-granulate. Ventral part of hind coxa weakly rugose-granulate. Hind coxa with basoventral tubercle. Hind coxa 0.60 x length of hind femur. Femora with a rounded protrusion in dorso-medial view. Hind femur in dorsal view granulate.

Metasoma. Basal sternal plate length/first tergum length ratio 0.61. First tergum 3.59 x longer than apical width. First tergum costulate-rugulose. Second tergum costulate-rugulose. Third tergum finely costulate-rugulose on basal half, smooth on apical half. Suture between second and third tergum absent. Fourth tergum and remainder of terga smooth and polished. Ovipositor 5.75 mm long. Ovipositor 1.67 x length of metasoma. Ovipositor 4.00 x length of first tergum.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Colombia.

Biology. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype female (IAvH). Colombia, Boyacá, Villa de Leyva Vda. La Capilla, 5º40'59''N 73º27'55''W, Cuenca Qda. Chaina, 2815m, Bosque de Robles, Jama, 11.vii.2001. E. González, Leg. M.105, IAvH- E 113965.

Etymology. This species is named in honor of Alejandro Zaldívar for his advice and support.

Figures

FIGURES 54 – 60. Notiospathius alejandroi sp. nov.: 54) habitus, 55) head in dorsal view, 56) metasoma in dorsal view, 57) mesosoma and first metasomal tergum, 58) second metasomal tergum, 59) mesosoma in lateral view, and 60) mesosoma in dorsal view. Scale bar: 1 mm.